Oh my people!

 I am so grateful for my family!  Thanksgiving is this week, right?  Its not celebrated here in Japan, but I've been trying to think about things that I am grateful for this month and one of the biggest things is you--my dear family! 

Thank you so much for the simple question "how are you" and for reminding me that you mostly want to hear the answer to that question!  :)  

I am happy and well. 

 I'm eating raw egg, seaweed, fermented soybeans, lots of rice, and more familiar foods (like peanut butter--Dad shoutout!) and sleeping really well after wonderfully long bike rides in refreshing weather. 

One change that we've been a part of is our friend K C's understanding of God.  When we first taught her about God, she thought that God maybe existed, 50% ish.  But after coming to church and praying daily, she told us in a recent lesson that God definitely exists.  SO COOL.  She has also really opened up to us and others.  Last night we had dinner with her and other investigators at our stake president's house and she willingly shared her experience with prayer as part of our lesson.  I am grateful for her and her faith and how her experience has taught me the power of prayer and faith. 

Another thing that I am so grateful for is the power of prayer. 

 It humbles me to think about how many people are praying for me and my mission--and the missionaries around the world.  Really, its powerful. 

Those prayers are being answered, I know it.  The power of faith is another thing that I am grateful for and have experienced this past week.  Opening my mouth is sometimes still really hard for me but this week I decided to just kind of go for it, even though I didn't know exactly what to say.  I'd done so before, but recommitted to that and say miracles as a result.  When we rode the train this week, I was able to talk with many people and even got contact information from one friend that I talked to.  Woot!  As a companionship, we decided that we would each ask 2 people to come to church or hear the missionary lessons after English class on Wednesday.  Even though I was a little nervous, when I let go of that and focused on inviting people in love and remembering that by receiving the gospel people can receive greater hope and strength, it became easier to open my mouth.  And when I invited people, they gladly accepted and gave me their contact info.  Seriously, faith has such POWER.

I love you all.  SO MUCH.  Enjoy time off of school and togetherness.  I am grateful for your examples of faith and righteous desires.  Keep it up.  Again, again, thank you for your individual emails.  I LOVE reading them and hearing your voices through them.  

Love higher than Mount Everest,

Williams shimai

Salutations!

So this week went by really quick, but here are a few photos and even fewer words to let you know what happened this week. 

I am happy, safe, and well.  I was so shocked and grateful to receive a package from David and Kelly!  So many thanks to them! 

Kind of like Grandma and Grandpa Brown, I had no idea that Tokyo would be so international!  Right now we have a few Japanese investigators, a sister from the Philippines, and a sister from the Dominican Republic that we are teaching.  They are so cool and I feel such appreciation and love for them when we teach.  I am so grateful for that gift in missionary work--feeling love for people.  I think that focus often helps me to forget myself and reach out to others by speaking to them on the train, on the street, or inviting them to make changes in their lives to come closer to Christ.  I know that as we focus on the Savior, our hearts change.  We can lay aside our fears and our mistakes and our sins and take up greater resolve, strength, and hope because of His atonement.  It is SO COOL.  And so abundant and continuous. 

OK, know that I love you all and am grateful for each of your examples.  HUGS! 

Williams shimai

More photoage

 So we decided to do email at our apartment this morning and the internet has proved to be impressively, even astonishingly slow.  Sorry about that!  I tried to send this email and pictures a few times, but the connection failed and lost the draft.  Sooo, I have a letter that I wrote to President Budge that I am hoping will get to you and give you a bit of an idea of what happened this week.

Dear family, thank you for your patience and prayers and love and faith.  We had miracles this week--investigators found, lessons taught, invitations extended, and faith built. 

I don't think I really realized how greatly blessed I am to be part of the Dave and Lorene Williams family before.  Thank you so much for your examples of faith, hope, love, and becoming.  That goes for the Williams family and Brown family as well.  Oh, I am so grateful!  I love you all. 

Sister Williams

Dear President Budge,

Thank you so much for your transfer email--it really boosted my hope, courage, and testimony that God is directing this work and lovingly and patiently working through us to bring His truth to those who do not currently have it. It is so wonderful! Again, thank you. 

As we worked to invite others this week, we experienced a lot of miracles! We had our first lesson with a sister and two of her children this week and in that lesson, Jones shimai recited the First Vision for the first time and I got to extend the invitation to be baptized, which they accepted--with the qualifier of more study. They, especially the mother of this family, readily received the message of the Restoration and we left the lesson feeling elated. The next time we taught them, we felt the same hope and joy. I am learning that teaching and sharing and testifying of truth and inviting others to know this truth for themselves brings real joy. Another miracle that we had this week is our friend, a 23 year old young woman who came to church for the first time last week and in a phone conversation with Nagamine shimai later in the week expressed that she wants to become a member. Woah! Sometimes we are not exactly sure how to teach her everything, but as we study and seek the Lord's help, I know that He has inspired us and will continue to direct us to meet her needs. Last one--our meeting with a referral. We determined to meet her at the church  and establish expectations. Some members  were there cleaning the church and guess what? They knew this sister! When they realized that they knew her, they invited all of us to lunch and we had a really good conversation about this sisters understanding of the church and what more she wanted to learn. So cool. 

The work is moving forward in Narita and I feel so blessed to be a part of it with Sister Nagamine and Sister Jones. They are great companions who strive to constantly improve. I am grateful for their examples and eager desire to help others. I also appreciate the time to study. I feel like that preparation is so key to my ability to focus on what really matters rather than my inadequacy and weakness. The perspective that the Lord can work through me to accomplish His work and help others strengthens me daily and I am so grateful for it. As part of that study this week, I read a bit in the Bible--including Luke 1:57--to find examples of those who had that perspective-including Mary the mother of Jesus and Elisabeth. These women are such heroes to me! There are so many heroes who give me strength and hope and direction and an image of who I want to become and I am so grateful. Thank you to you and Sister Budge and all the missionaries here that provide such examples as well. Seriously, I feel so generously blessed to be serving with so many wonderful people in this great cause. I look forward to going forward with love and courage this week!